Post-Harvest 2: Australia (GBR & Sydney)

Leaving New Zealand was extremely tough - I enjoyed the people I met, was in constant awe of the natural beauty, and really respect the Kiwi way of life. Fortunately, Shannon and I had more adventures to look forward to, starting with getting Scuba certified in the Great Barrier Reef. Our course started with two long theory + pool sessions before going out to the reef for 2.5 days and 8 dives. What a feeling it was to i) be sitting on the bottom of a pool BREATHING and then ii) exist in the open blue waters for 40 minutes straight at a time. And despite the short time frame, we made some very close friends from France, Germany, & Australia to play Hanabi and Rummy with. They became our diving buddies, which comes with a high level of trust- we really got lucky! The reef was astounding, but most of what makes it "great" is the sheer size of the ecosystem and accompanying biodiversity. Visibility started around 10m, but unfortunately conditions worsened and cancelled our one night dive. We did sit on the stern of the boat while crew fed the fish and attracted local reef sharks. The compared the sharks to "puppy dogs" who are just curious and like commotion, but are relatively harmless and leave you alone. I would've loved to dive with them at night, but alas...next time!













After our fantastic initiation into Scuba diving at the GBR, Shannon and I flew down to Sydney for her last stop and my penultimate stop of my travels. We were greeted with a lovely host, Anja, who is one of the many Aussie friends Shannon made while studying abroad in the Netherlands. Anja and her boyfriend kindly hosted us for ~5 days and gave us the proper Sydney experience. We tasted the 3 most popular ice cream places, walked along the Eastern beaches around Bondi, traversed by ferry up to Manly/Shelley beach, and of course visited the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Both of those spectacles were as breathtaking as seen in photos. If time permitted, we would've loved to do an architectural tour of the OH, but 4 days in a sprawling city is not much time (plus Shannon was actually working and I had Bali planning to do). Our favorite area was probably Newtown, which is an artsy + alternative side of Sydney with countless bars and vintage shops. Shannon picked up a pair of vintage Frye boots and we each found a pair of sunnies. Unfortunate for Shannon, she owned her new sunglasses for about 2 hours before losing them at the pub when we met the rest of her Aussie friends. It was a short, but wonderful, stay in a city that reminded us of California (except for the 'underground acai wars' where biker gangs use Acai shops for nefarious purposes like money laundering, kidnapping, and arson. You know, typical nuances associated with acai bowls...)












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